


My algebra equals you every time

by PaulaLovelace



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Birthday Party, Canon Compliant, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Multi, Mutual Pining, Non-Graphic Smut, Polyamory, bea is relevant and we live her, henry/alex are being cute on the background
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 07:48:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26968522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaulaLovelace/pseuds/PaulaLovelace
Summary: Alex may have been Nora’s first, but June has always been her constant. After a new factor enters their lives, Nora will have to re-do all her calculations.Or: how Nora, June and Pez realized love doesn’t always equal two.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, June Claremont-Diaz/Nora Holleran/Percy "Pez" Okonjo
Comments: 15
Kudos: 104
Collections: Red White & Royal Blue Big Bang 2020





	My algebra equals you every time

**Author's Note:**

> Can you believe it's been YEARS since I last posted something here? Phew.
> 
> But this was worth it. I saw the big bang announcement back in February and I knew I had to join. And of course, I knew it had to be JuNoPez!
> 
> This fic was inspired by Dance Monkey and a bunch of fan-videos I saw with said song. It was something along the lines: "imagine your OTP dancing reeeeeally close to this" and BOOM. This fic was born. I also wanted an excuse to write something from Nora's POV. She's my favorite character and we are very similar, so this was super funny. The title is also from a song! This time it's Genius by Diplo, Sia and Labrinth.
> 
> Now for the important part! I want to send a huge thank you to [Eli](https://elia-nna.tumblr.com/) for being such an amazing beta and working so hard even if time wasn't on our side. And of course another huge thank you to my artist [Kieran](https://kieranfae.tumblr.com/)! You can see their amazing work [here](https://kieranfae.tumblr.com/post/631876303514189824/hey-so-i-was-paired-with-shirazidara-for-the-red).
> 
> Also, a small sidenote: I need to thank myself too for giving me the chance to work on this. I enjoyed it a lot and I missed writing so much is almost surreal.
> 
> Kudos and comments are really appreciated. And I hope you enjoy this! (and if you do maybe consider rating it on [Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55663992-my-algebra-equals-you-every-time) too!)

It shouldn't be as much of a surprise as it is. Nora Holleran has always known she's bisexual (not  _ known _ , at least the word, but she's always been aware of how she didn't care if she was falling for a boy or a girl or someone who didn't fit the binarism) and she's always suspected she could like her best friend as more than a friend. Not Alex. They tried and didn't work. June. It would be easy — convenient even — to fall in love with someone she knows so well, on a level few people achieve.

So, why is she thinking so hard about a damn kiss? She wishes there was a program she could code to give her the answer.

All because of one little kiss, like the ones she shared with Alex at every opportunity to raise a scandal in the magazines, or at New Year's Eve just because it's fun. She doesn't kiss him anymore; she supposes it wouldn't sit well with Prince Charming of England. Instead, June is the one to kiss her after Ellen Claremont is reelected.

She analyzes the reasons that June might have kissed her: excitement, the unique moment, happiness, closeness, hard work paying off. June has a thousand reasons to kiss her impulsively so it's not a big deal, it really isn't. It isn't even their first kiss. but something about it makes Nora feel weird. Not good, not bad. Just weird.

Their first kiss wasn't much of a kiss either, both of them drunk off of their asses in Nora's apartment, giggling and dancing on top of the coffee table just because they could. And after hours of just  _ being _ , they ended up falling into Nora's bed, still giggling, still drunk, and barely dressed in their summer pyjamas (which didn’t count for much, in the way of being dressed), with their legs intertwined, faces so close their noses were a breath away. Nora can't fully remember their conversation, just this one bit:

“God, you're amazing. Seriously, I love you so much.”

She doesn't even remember who said it, who then kissed the other. Maybe they both did. It wasn't even a proper kiss—just a smash of lips, laughter bubbling behind it, hands on cheeks and then more giggling, falling asleep next to each other, no weird silences the next morning, no  _ nothing _ . Just June and Nora, Nora and June. Best friends, partners in crime, maybe a bit in love with each other but good.

Nora didn't even think about it after it happened, the same way she didn't think about kisses shared with Alex when they were just for fun.

But then Pez came along and Nora watched how even if June denied it, she was falling a bit for the boy. Who could blame her? He was gorgeous, funny, intelligent, sometimes he would talk like he was straight out of a period novel, the kind Nora’s mother would read. Pez Okonjo was amazing and there was no denying it.

Was she jealous? No, she was happy for June. Maybe it was her chance to start over with someone new, to forget her  _ oh, eternal _ ex-boyfriend. Nora was happy, happy, happy. Maybe too much so for someone who had to repeat to herself over and over again that it was just that: happiness for her best friend, the same way she was happy watching Alex falling in love with Henry every day a little more.

Maybe it was jealousy after all, not of them but because they were meeting new people, falling in love and Nora wasn't. She had her numbers, her computer, her charts, and it was fine, fine, so fine. She didn't need to fall in love, she didn't have time anyway, right?

She had time for fun, though. And that's exactly what the night in Los Angeles was: fun. June, Pez and Nora drunk off of their asses, falling together in bed, intertwined legs, giggling at nothing and everything, hands finding skin, at one moment lips finding lips. Just because they could, they spent half the time in that hotel room caressing each other, not caring whose hand was on whose skin, just wanting,  _ needing _ . Too drunk to do anything past that, but not enough to not end up in just underwear.

The next morning? No awkwardness, no nothing. They were fine. June and Nora. Pez and the girls. Maybe they flirted a bit more in chats. Maybe, sometimes, Nora's mind brought her back to that night and she felt a bit alone. Maybe she was spending too much time inside her apartment, holed up and trying not to think about anything that wasn't Ellen's campaign. 

She had the logic behind it at the front of her brain, just in case she needed to check it again: she was doing this because she had to, because they were in a critical position, because Alex was suffering and she could be the missing piece to put that behind him and help him and Henry overcome it.

But after everything is done, after Ellen’s reelected, Nora doesn't have any more numbers to think about. She hasn't even begun to think of a new project to lose herself to, no master’s programs to look into before June is grabbing her face with both hands. They're wearing matching smiles and Nora is about to wrap her arms around June to hug her when June kisses her, a hard smash of lips, still smiling. 

Nora's heart flutters, and she realizes she's never stopped thinking about it. About June.

It's not until three months after the elections that Nora sees Pez again; usually he'd stay with Henry, but Henry's apartment has become the lovey-dovey flat of the grossest couple Nora has ever seen in her life. She feels a bit jealous of what Alex and Henry have, but in a good way. Regardless, Pez was completely against spending his short time in the U.S. sharing an apartment with them so Nora suggested the easiest alternative: her own flat.

It’d surely be fun to have him there, right? They were constantly chatting, either in private or in the group chat with June, or the one with the Super Six gang. Sometimes, even all three chats at the same time.

So that's how they end up on the floor of her living room, both with their laptops open and typing their lives away. Nora’s doing a project for her master’s in Data Science and Pez trying to make the shelter's accounts work as smoothly as possible.

“You know,” Nora starts, shuffling until she rolls onto her back, “I actually thought you were buffling with the whole ‘I know economics'.”

Pez snorts, looks at Nora with disbelief.

“No, really,” she continues, “I thought you had people doing that work for you, y'know? Like you put the money, they make it work.” She moves her hands around to give an example, gesturing like she's moving all that money from one space to another

“Did you really think I was just some dumb rich kid with an amazing sense of fashion? I'm hurt.” Pez moves a hand to his own heart but he doesn't look hurt, not even a bit.

“Who said anything about sense of fashion?”

“Ouch.”

_ Now  _ he does look hurt, even if Nora knows he's just pretending.

They share a last smile, full of complicity, and fall into work again. She has to admit it’s easy to have him around, even if sometimes she can't stop thinking about how June looks at his pics or his messages or how they video-call whenever they talk on the phone. It's not like Nora’s not part of that like, probably 30% of the time. It's just-

June doesn't look at her like that and Nora kind of wishes she would.

She also knows it's not Pez's fault. He can't help himself, he's…  _ gorgeous _ supplies a tiny voice in Nora's head. Yeah, kind and selfless, and handsome and funny and maybe sometimes too much of a clown. 

There's also something almost intimate about seeing him without his usual flamboyant outfits—not that his bright pink t-shirt and leopard print pants are the most inconspicuous pyjamas Nora's ever seen, but it's still way under his level of flashiness.

All in all, she can totally see why June would fall for him. Even if she hasn't said anything about it to Nora yet and that hurts a bit too.

“Hey, can you help me here?”

Pez's voice takes Nora away from her own mind and she realizes she's barely done anything, her laptop still as blank as it was twenty minutes ago.  _ Shit _ .

“Sure. I could totally share my intelligence with the economics guy.”

“Oh, how compassionate of you to agree to help a poor soul like mine. But it's about something else.”

Nora frowns but she leaves her laptop where it is and gets up only to sit again at Pez's right.

“Okay, what is it?”

“So, you know how our dearest best friends have their birthday almost at the same time but they probably are too busy meddling in bed to remember it?”

Nora thinks about saying that  _ June _ is her best friend and Alex is just a stray cat they rescued, but she decides to just nod, too curious to waste time joking.

“Well, how about we throw them a party? Not something big, just… maybe the five of us plus Bea? We can totally have her fly here. And I don't know, does Alex have any close friends?”

The snort Nora lets out is enough to answer. Alex has made three friends over the last year (all three of them very rich, very english) and that's enough. She supposes he has got back in touch with Liam but they're probably not there yet.

“The six of us is fine. I suppose Henry doesn't have a lot of friends either?”

“Now, why would he need more friends when he has me?”

“Jackass.” Nora bites her lip to not give him the pleasure of knowing she finds him funny (they both know it, but it's better to pretend they don't). “So, what did you have in mind?”

Pez doesn't get to answer because right then the front door opens and June is yelling to announce her arrival.

“Guess who has takeout for you two useless human beings?” Charming, as always.

When she reaches the door to the living room she's already lost her shoes and her coat, but the steamy containers of Chinese food are still in one of her hands.

“Have you even stopped working to, I don't know, drink water? Go to the bathroom?”

Nora and Pez look at each other, a bit of guiltiness in their faces. They haven't, actually.

“As a matter of fact,” Nora counters, looking back at June, “we aren't currently working but planning a birthday party for your brother and his boyfriend.”

“Ohhh. Wait there. Don't even blink while I change clothes. I can't believe you guys wouldn't wait for me to do this. Assholes.” June says and disappears out of the door as fast as she first appeared.

Nora and Pez look at each other and a laugh escapes them both. There's something insanely funny about getting a book-deal author to insult you on a daily basis on the most boring things you could think of.

They manage to not keep looking through clubs and restaurants only because hunger is calling them and so they decide to set up the small coffee table with napkins and chopsticks and when June is back, they're already inspecting the white containers, interchanging them and claiming a spot on the sofa. Of course, there's an empty space between Nora and Pez, because that's another unspoken thing.

June occupies it with a smile.

They left the party-planning in favor of watching a rerun of The Office. They already know all the jokes, but they laugh at them like it's the first time. Pez repeating how the British and  _ mind you, ladies, original _ version was so much better, June shutting him up with one of her dumplings.

And Nora just… well, she enjoys watching them, being with them; but she mostly enjoys the way her feet are in touch with June’s, how she leans a bit on her as if gravity was pulling them together. It's irrational, but once in a while, she likes that. To feel like irrational things are totally and completely possible, that her life could have a bit more sweetness, a bit more spiciness, a bit more of  _ June _ if she just allows herself to believe in it.

After they're stuffed with food and the television has been forgotten, June grabs Pez's laptop and they all get a bit closer to look at its screen while June reviews everything they had put together. It soon becomes clear that no matter how many projects Pez runs on a daily basis or how many numbers Nora can pull off, June is the one when it comes to organizing events—especially parties.

They don't get much work done, just the basics. Nothing too big, just the six of them, no famous people in sight and definitely not the press. Dinner before partying—but nothing too fancy or they'll never make it to the nightclub—and a hotel to spend the night (or the early hours of the morning) because it's always easier than going back to their places. Plus they can avoid hearing Alex and Henry banging and still have breakfast with them hours later.

“So, three rooms?” June asks and then raises six of her fingers to start counting. “One for Henry and Alex, of course.” Two fingers go down. “One for Bea, because she does not deserve to take care of our drunken asses,” another finger goes down, leaving just three and the obvious conclusion: “and one for the three of us. Basically like L.A.”.

And there is it, like it's nothing, like everything is going to be the same as in Los Angeles. Nora can feel her skin heating up just thinking about it. Fortunately for her, June doesn't turn to her to ask for an answer, Pez gives it for the two of them.

“Perfect. So now we just need to find the most bloody amazing club in New York. Any ideas, ladies of The Big Apple?”

June snorts and Nora rolls her eyes but it's exactly the change of air she needs to go back to her normal self again.

“In case you don't remember, neither of us has been living here for more than three months.  _ But _ there's nothing wrong with some field work.” Nora's smile says a lot more than her words. And the matching grin in June and Pez's faces is all the answer she needs.

They still have four days until Pez leaves again for Europe.

The first option seems obvious: the most exclusive nightclubs in New York. It might be a bit against their non-famous people rule, but it's not like they're inviting them.

It's against their field work rules to get wasted—although they haven't said they can't drink. It's obvious none of them are taking notes about the locals, but regardless of whether the evening goes to plan, they’re still hard at work.

Pez gets them a private area and dances while both girls are half lying on a sofa, laughing and drinking from the same glass. June interrogates the bartenders to discover how many cocktails they know, as if any of them knows (or likes) more than three different drinks. Nora has a couple alerts programmed on her phone to know how long it takes to have them on Instagram or Twitter.

But it's after they’re leaving one of the biggest clubs in New York that they come across one that's not even half as big, or half as famous, or half as anything like the others they've been checking out. But it just has something. Maybe the music, which Pez thinks is  _ dope _ or the neon lights you can see through a small window, which June thinks are  _ pretty _ or the big pride flag on the wall, which Nora thinks is  _ fucking awesome. _

So they go inside, they take a couple of couches and some soda because they've already drank too much. There's other people inside but no alert goes off on Nora's phone even after someone asks them for a pic.

“Doesn't this remind you of Los Angeles?” June asks, sprawled on the sofa with her legs on Pez's lap and her head on Nora's.

And it does—minus the gay kid singing Queen.

“That was a great night. Wish we could celebrate their birthday there, if I'm being honest.” Pez says.

“So… why not?” At that, both June and Pez look at Nora like she’s lost her mind. It's not that, not yet. She just has problems saying everything her brain has already thought when alcohol is slowing her tongue.

“Okay. Listen. We can't fly to Los Angeles just for one night. But,” she makes a pause just to be dramatic and a grin appears on her face “We can do it here. This is probably the closest we're going to find to that karaoke. We can even ask the bartenders if we can make an improvised karaoke!” Her hands are up in the air, trying to capture the whole place, the whole idea.

“That's… actually a great idea.” June chips in, getting up with a matching grin to Nora's.

“Of course it is. She's our genius.” Pez adds.

Nora is grateful the low lights can cover the blush on her cheeks, if they didn't, she'd have to blame it on the alcohol.

“We probably won't even have to worry about the press or rich people trying to join. We don't even have security inside here and no one is bugging us.”

She doesn't add the obvious: this club is the right place to not have any uncomfortable homophobic encounter, which is definitely what Alex and Henry don't deserve to have on their birthday. And maybe neither do the rest of them—just in case.

“ _ Jesus _ . You're amazing, babe.” June takes Nora's face on her hands and plants a kiss on her lips—short, just a smack—and then she's getting up, offering her right hand to Nora and the left to Pez. “Come on, I feel like dancing a bit more.”

So they dance until their feet can't take it anymore, until it's so late the three of them are already thinking about a comfy bed. When they go back to the girls' apartment, June is still holding their hands.

When they wake up, morning is long gone, but that doesn't stop them from getting coffee and Pez even offers to make pancakes. They have late breakfast on the couch and debate whether it would be appropriate to call it  _ brunch  _ instead.

“So, where should we have dinner?” Nora asks, after her brain is no longer a groggy mass and can focus on the Birthday Mission again.

“We're still finishing breakfast and you're already thinking about dinner?” Pez asks.

That makes June laugh and Nora rolls her eyes.

“I was talking about the birthday dinner, jackass.” And to add insult to injury, she steals the last bite of Pez's pancake.

He doesn't react, so she takes it only as half win.

“Maybe pizza? There are like a hundred Italian restaurants around here. Or pizza joints. Tasty, but not fancy.” June suggests.

Nora hums. It's a good idea, totally in line with what they talked about yesterday, about not going anywhere their parents would. And still, there's something missing.

“Or Chinese? I'm pretty sure Alex will eat whatever we give him.” June adds. She’s probably right.

“No, the food is not the problem. Pizza is great. Chinese is also great. Although—” And then there's that little bulb on her head, the one June says she can totally see because Nora's face glows.

“Idea face.” Pez whispers.

“Definitely idea face.” June agrees.

Nora doesn't call them off only because—yeah, they're right. That doesn't mean she won't jokily push them.

“What if we had dinner here? We have space, we can order whatever we want, we can make noise—some noise, okay. I don't want Miss Hernández to yell at us again.”

“Who is Miss Hernández?”

“A lovely old woman who lives with a cat—Curry—and sometimes asks Nora to help her out with  _ la tecnología del demonio _ .” June mimics the woman's voice almost perfectly, but that doesn't help Pez's confusion.

“Devil's technology” Nora explains.

“Oh, yeah. You're really good with _la_ technology _del_ _demonio._ ” 

Even he scrunches a little his nose at his own pronunciation, which makes the three of them laugh.

“Anyway” Nora starts, getting rid of whatever laugh is still inside of her with a little sigh. “Do we have an agreement, then? Dinner here, party at that club we found last night?”

They all agree and, not even four minutes later, they're already goofing around. Pushing each other, joking and laughing. It feels good—maybe too good.

The last night before Pez has to go back home, they decide to throw a mini-party in the girls' flat. They call Alex and Henry to come over and they even get food: a bit of Mexican, a bit of Chinese, a bit of Italian—no British even if Pez and Henry argue about it being delicious. 

They play board games, disagreeing on almost every single rule and making them up as they go. Pez and Alex want to fiddle at Monopoly? Then Nora and Henry get to ally while playing poker and June can totally play UNO as she likes. 

The only thing they all agree on is this: Henry and Alex cannot kiss whenever one of them wins. Well, maybe Henry and Alex don’t agree, but they are democrats and they win the poll. _ No, Henry, being prince of a foreign country doesn't make your vote count more. No, Alex, being said foreign prince's consort don't count either. _

When there are only five hours left before Pez needs to go to the airport, they take a nap. Alex and Henry get their way in having one of the beds, June's; but that's alright because even if Nora can still sleep on her bed, she ends up cuddling on the sofa—her chest against June's back, Pez facing them both with one hand hugging Nora's back, trapping June between them.

A couple of weeks before the party, Nora comes home to laughter. June's is unmistakable and, from her laptop, so is Pez’s. It's not an unusual scene, but nonetheless she feels like she's intruding on something private. And that's why she decides to go straight to her room. If only June would allow that.

“Nora! Is that you, or did someone break in? If so, please leave and come back another day!”

Nora hears Pez saying something but she can't quite grasp it. Whatever it is, it’s funny enough to get another laugh from June.

“Nope! No Nora. Just a sneaky robber with a copy of the keys. Sorry to disappoint, babe.” As soon as she says it, she becomes aware of the heat on her cheeks.

She's never felt so self conscious about using pet names with June because it's always been a joke. It still is, right? But when her mind is thinking about whether Pez might use them too, in a totally different context, she becomes extremely aware of how joke-ish it is between June and her.

Is it a joke, though? Does Nora use it in a different way with June than she had with hookups and brief relationships?

“What is taking you so long? We have a present to buy!” June says, very much not in the living room but right outside her door.

And Nora's very much in her underwear. That's another thing she's becoming too aware of.  _ Shit _ .

“Was it today? Almost done. Pez can keep you entertained for five more minutes, right? Or has he run out of jokes already?” Before she finishes, June opens the door and throws herself into Nora's bed.

“Actually, he hung up a bit after you came. Guess it was time for bed in London.” She shrugs and then smiles, looking at Nora. “You know? That outfit is amazing, but maybe a bit inappropriate for this time of the year.”

It is, indeed, completely inappropriate for any time of the year, seeing as Nora's only wearing her bra, panties and knee-socks. Before she blushes again, Nora turns around to face her wardrobe, not even thinking about what to pick.

She just needs time to mentally reprimand herself, to rationalize that they've always been like this with each other.

Inhale. Exhale.

“I mean, I could probably walk around like this inside the flat...” she turns around to wink at June and she's back to herself. “If you ask nicely.”

June laughs and a small part of Nora is proud she got that sound out of her, and not Pez. Another one analyzes how it's not so different than what she feels when she hears them both laugh together. She just feels a bit jealous when she's not part of the equation.

“I also like that dress.” June compliments, motioning towards Nora's body with her head.

She hadn't realized which one she’d grabbed before looking at herself in the mirror. Nora likes it too, especially since it's one June bought her last year.

Nora smiles and instead of urging June to get up, she throws herself beside her on her bed, quick to put her legs across June's lap. “Shame. I was really digging this almost-nude style.”

June's hand goes to the part of Nora's legs that neither the dress nor the socks cover and leaves them there. Soft, as everything with them. “Maybe when the summer comes. We can make it an official rule.”

“You'll have to watch your brother and Henry make out in briefs, though.”

At that, June makes a face.

“Okay, no. Forget the last two minutes ever happened. We can't ban them from coming here and I'm not watching them like  _ that _ .”

“Sure we can't ban them?” Nora pouts a bit and June almost looks like she's thinking about it before giving a little clap in Nora's knee.

“Do you want the English crown  _ and _ the president of the United States to ask why we’re banning their kids from our flat?” Maybe Ellen would understand, but the Queen?” 

Nora shakes her head. 

“That's what I thought. Now come on.”

Nora sighs but gets up without a fight; and, even if June probably doesn't need it, Nora offers her hand to help her up. June takes it with a soft smile.

They decide against going to the mall because it seems appropriate to give Alex something that doesn't reek too much of capitalism. Of course they could buy something expensive but, truly, Alex and Henry could totally buy whatever they want themselves.

They end up in a small bookstore that smells old. June loves it and Nora memorizes the name just to come back another day.

There are new books, secondhand books and books so old you don't even know how many hands have touched them. they probably spend a lot more time just being amazed than looking for a gift. Until they come across an old poetry book. Or that's what it seems to be at first, but after they open it, they see it’s more a collection of letters than poems.

When June shows her the text on the back saying these all are from anonymous same-sex couples from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, they don't even need to say it.

It’s perfect.

Turns out, having a princess fly with a low profile is more difficult than any of them ever anticipated, but with a bit of help from Zahra and Shaan they managed to not alert Alex nor Henry.

Still, waiting for the plane to land is boring. It's also too early, so Nora has been drifting in and out of sleep with her head on June's shoulder for the past twenty minutes.

When she's about to say  _ fuck it _ and ask June to wake her up when Pez and Bea arrive, she hears a way too cheerful voice, right in her ear.

“Awww, aren't you two sweeter than apple pie?”

It sends a shiver down her spine to hear Pez so close when she's not fully awake. It doesn't get better when June pats her leg so they can get up.

As soon as she's up, there are arms around her and June.

“I missed you both so much!” Bea's smile is almost audible. They both hug back.

When Nora can finally see her, she smiles back. Bea is still as pretty as always, her short blonde hair tipped with pink now. Nora wonders if Pez had anything to do with it.

“How was the flight? Everything okay? Alex and Henry?”

“Good, we went over the plan for today and they still don't know we're here. We'll probably have a couple of hours before one of them decides the spiritual trip is bullshit and checks his phone, though.”

Nora bites her lip to stop a laugh from escaping. A spiritual trip. That's what Zahra and Shaan decided to call hauling the boys away from the Internet to take them to a lake at seven a.m.—Nora's almost sorry she didn't get to see their faces.

“Great. You should probably leave your stuff at our place, so they don't find out about the hotel. We can ask someone to take everything there later.”

June is already talking with Pez, and Nora feels her face showing that ugly jealousy. If Bea notices, she's kind enough to not say anything, just link their arms and start walking.

“So, how is it living here? And your masters? Must be amazing.”

Soon, she forgets a bit about them both and focuses on catching up with Bea. She's almost grateful.

It's incredible how the happy couple doesn't discover the surprise party before they enter Nora and June's flat. It was clever to do it one week before Henry's birthday so that neither of them would think Pez and the girls were planning anything (it might have helped that Alex was freaking out about Henry's birthday in every chat). 

Still, they thought it would be obvious after the  _ make a small suitcase, just for the night _ . Turns out it wasn't, if their faces after seeing Pez and Bea said anything at all.

Bea hugs her brother and June and Nora proceed to tease Alex about his obliviousness while Pez takes the food to the living room. They ended up ordering pizza, Mexican, Chinese and definitely not British—although Pez tried to fight for his right to choose it.

They put on some music just for ambience and soon find their places around the small coffee table. If anyone was ever going to tell Nora she'd have royalty sitting on her floor while having dinner with their bare hands, she would have laughed. But here they are.

“I knew they were bullshitting us!” Alex claims between bites of burrito.

“Babe, you said at least three times that you could already feel the bad vibes leaving your body.”

Bea almost chokes on her sushi. Henry looks quite pleased with himself. June, Nora and Pez laugh. Alex looks at his boyfriend like he’s done something unforgivable.

“ _ Anyway, _ ” he starts again. “How are you planning on making everyone fit here? Because I want to sleep with Henry  _ alone _ . It's our birthday.”

Alex and Henry smile. The rest of the group groans.

“First of all: gross, you're not having sex under my roof.” June says while pointing one of her chopsticks at him. “Second, we're not going to end the night here. Zahra and Shaan will come by later and pick up our things.”

“Wait, where are we going to spend the night? I didn't bring a change of clothes, only pyjamas and a toilet bag.” Henry looks so panicked it's almost hilarious.

“Oh, wouldn't you want to know, Your Highness?” Pez says, almost singing. And after a collective laugh, he stops teasing his best friend. “Don't worry, you're quite perfect for our next stop.”

It's only been five minutes since they left the apartment, but Alex has managed to complain twice already.

“I'm just saying that if this is a birthday party, we should have a cake, candles to blow out, and someone singing happy birthday to us.” He ticks each thing with a finger up.

Nora and June groan. The British half of the group can't help but laugh.

“Do you need to be such a brat, Alex? I'm telling you, we aren't finished with the birthday party. And no, I don't mean that we're gonna get wasted, okay?”

Alex almost pouts at his sister, but soon enough he's putting his arm around her shoulder.

“So, are you going to sing to me? So sweet. I love the book, just so you know. You're amazing, sis.”

June pushes him, but there's a smile playing on her lips.

“Asshole, go back to your boyfriend.”

“Sure thing.”

Nora loves watching them bicker and make up. It almost makes her want to be a sister too.

As soon as they arrive a bunch of balloons are waiting for them, spelling  _ Happy Birthday _ . There's also a couple of mics that quickly grab Alex's attention (and by extension, Henry's too).

Pez leaves the group to approach the bartender and ask her for the cake—chocolate and strawberries, with a little crown painted on top—they left there hours ago.

“Happy birthday to youuuu,” Pez starts singing, and soon enough the girls join him with claps and a badly coordinated chorus.

It all ends on applause and the couple blowing the candles before sharing a gross—and maybe sweet—kiss.

“I'm bloody happy to have you guys as friends” Henry says, hand on his heart.

Everyone joins for a group hug. Nora is  _ freaking _ happy too.

Between cake slices and the first drinks, they decide to set some rules for the karaoke: for starters, it is forbidden for Alex and Henry to be sappy and make them cry. The only other rule is that they can't choose the same songs they sang in LA (and no, having forgotten because they were drunk is not a valid excuse).

They make it work. Henry and Pez try to sing Old Town Road and the girls choose Wannabe from the Spice Girls. Alex joins, saying there aren’t enough girls to sing all the parts. None of them tells him there were actually five Spice Girls. He manages to sing both Victoria's and Melanie B's parts.

After a couple of rounds they're starting to get drunk, and Bea says she's already covered her fair share of bad singing for a night, so they ask the DJ to put on some music.

Nora dances with everyone, or, at least jumps around and sings every song—even those she doesn't know.

At some point, when the music is just something electronic without lyrics, she moves to the couch to rest for a bit. Alex is making out with Henry in the middle of the dance floor. Bea and Pez are at the bar, talking to the barista and grabbing more drinks, respectively. June is in the bathroom.

Nora's just content with watching everyone around her.

Then the music changes to some pop song that was huge last year. Nora has always loved it. She knows the lyrics by heart and has danced to it with June and Alex so many times it's surreal she's not sick of it. 

"I love this song!" June yells from the bathroom door and practically jumps her way to the sofa where Nora is. Then she locks eyes with her "It's our song!"

Nora is not sure they have a song, but if it’s gonna make June  _ glow _ like that, then they can have a whole playlist. She sets her already empty glass on the table, but before she can get up, June is already looking for someone else and finding him right behind her.

“Hi, Pez!”

“Hello, there. In the mood for another drink?”

June’s answer is her hands on his shoulders. Pez chuckles and leaves the drinks on the table before putting his hands on June’s hips. Nora feels like her whole body is on fire, and the worst part? She’s not sure why.

Maybe she’s just jealous. Jealous of how Pez is dancing with June when that’s the best friends job—she even said it was their song!—or maybe she’s jealous of how they match so perfectly together.

Maybe it’s the wonder. She’s thought about it before, how it would feel to have June so close to her in a way that’s completely not platonic. And if she stares a bit too much, she also starts to wonder how it would be like to be in June’s place, to have Pez’s hands around her body, to have him whisper in her ear, silly things or the song lyrics or whatever makes June look like she’s enjoying herself so much.

Maybe she’s too drunk to be thinking so much. Maybe she should drink a bit more and stop thinking.

When the song reaches the chorus, she realizes she’s been staring at them the whole time. Pez realizes too and locks eyes with her while he smirks.

Is he mocking her? Daring her to get up and do something about it? Asking her to join them? Nora doesn't care. She gets up and Pez offers his hand. She takes it. June turns around and suddenly her arms are around Nora's neck. Pez's eyes are on hers.

Fuck.

The room is just them. There’s no Henry and Alex making out, no Bea chatting with the cute bartender that keeps giving her free sodas. No lights, no music, no locals. No nothing. Just the three of them so close, Nora’s surprised they can still breathe.

Maybe they’re not.

June’s mouth is so close to her ear, either singing the lyrics or how much she loves her. Pez eyes are still on her even if his hands are on June’s hips.

Nora has never wanted anything so bad, especially without knowing what it is that she wants. June? Pez? Both? She thinks back about their night in LA and her body shivers.

There must be a rule that forbids her from thinking about it.

The song abruptly stops mid verse and from Alex’s  _ woohoo, _ he’s probably asked the bartender to put another one:  _ Get Low _ .

Of fucking course it was him.

June whines and that’s when the spell breaks between the three of them. But apart from Nora, no one seems to notice how affected she is, how  _ that _ actually happened and not just in her head.

Soon they’re all laughing and cheering at Alex twerking and Henry’s weird mix of being secondhand embarrassed for his boyfriend, and trying to please him by twerking too or at least moving his hips.

After that they only last a couple more songs before deciding to call it a night and go to the hotel.

Nora decides she's not going to think about what just happened until morning comes and the alcohol leaves her system, even though she doesn't feel drunk anymore. But trying not to think about something is always tricky, because then you're thinking about not thinking.

Long story short: Nora can't stop the thoughts in her head from dancing around. They bring up the night in LA and how this time they again picked a room with just one bed. They replay how good it felt to dance with Pez and June and she has to stop herself from shivering again.

“Nora? Everything alright?”

She almost jumps, but Bea's voice does the trick and gets her out of her own head.

“Sure, yeah. Just a bit drunk I think” she lies and smiles. And Bea intertwines their arms like she knows better but decides to play along.

“What do you think of the bartender?”

“It was really nice of her to let us have the party as we wanted. She could have blown it up and made some money out of it, honestly.”

“No, I mean—yes. But do you find her cute?”

Nora looks at Bea a bit puzzled. She's not sure why, but that's not the way she thought the conversation would go.

“I mean… yes? She was cute. Why? Did you…?” Bea bites her lips but she's so clearly smiling that Nora almost gasps. “You flirted with her. And here I thought you were playing responsible mom watching their kids play.”

Bea shushes her as if she’s indeed a single mother a bit ashamed of having fun with someone new.

“Her name is Maya. She graduated last year from art school but she hasn’t had luck in finding a job in the field yet. She’s trying to save some money and rent a gallery, though.”

“Did you get her number?”

“I did, but...”

“No buts,” Nora interrupts “If Alex and Henry are really a thing then there’s nothing to a but when it comes to international relationships.”

And well, isn’t she the hypocrital one?

“I was simply going to say that we still need to talk more,  _ Jesus _ !” Bea raises her arms and laughs. “But thanks for the support.”

A pair of arms wrap themselves around Nora's middle and she lets out a little squeak. Bea laughs.

“What are both you ladies talking about?”

Pez's voice is just above Nora's right shoulder. She tries to get him to stop hugging her. He doesn't budge. She doesn't care.

“Oh, just  _ lady things, _ ” Nora answers, going for her best British accent. It's ridiculous. “Did you abandon June to her luck with the lovey-dovey boyfriends? That's low, Pez.”

Pez fakes indignation. Nora has seen that expression on his face so much, she can't help but laugh.

“No. Or probably. Guess we'll find out in a bit. Just wanted to tell you that June has already texted Zahra and everything's settled up.” After the message is delivered, Pez kisses Nora's cheek and releases her. “See you in a bit!”

Nora can sense her own blush and Bea doesn't comment on it. She prefers to think it's invisible.

Just by looking at Zahra's face, it's already obvious she’s annoyed (and at this point, Nora isn't even going to question, there are multiple reasons for Zahra’s annoyance). Also, Shaan's shirt hasn't been correctly buttoned up. Maybe they should have called when they left the club, and not five minutes before arriving.

She's never seen anyone as fast as Zahra is in giving them their keys.

Everyone wants to go to bed, for diverse reasons, so they make it short. They still have tomorrow morning for breakfast before parting ways, anyway.

Nora closes the door and then there's just the three of them.

“And another great plan from the Smashing Team” Pez says, going straight to the bed and letting himself fall on top of it.

June's laughter comes from the bathroom where she's taking off her makeup. Nora joins her with a smirk.

“Is that an Austin Power reference?” she asks.

“Okay, if you know where it comes from you cannot laugh at me, Nora. It doesn't work like that.”

Pez joins them too, because of course he has to wash off that damn eyeliner that looks better on him than it would on any other human being.

The bathroom is kind of small, but they make it work and one by one, they all go back to bed. Too tired to do anything but lie there, but still not tired enough to put on their pyjamas and sleep.

“I think Smashing Team is really cool. It makes us sound so badass” June says.

June rolls on her stomach, elbows on the mattress and face on her hands. She also ends up pressed up against Nora's side, and she can feel every bit of June's skin touching hers.

“You are both kind of badass. Squishy, but badass.” Pez is smiling even before either of the girls have the time to react.

“Well, you are not badass at all.” says Nora, and June goes for a more violent approach in trying to push him off of the bed.

Soon enough, they are all fighting like kids, pillows as weapons and trying not to laugh too loud (and failing, of course). There are so many limbs, it's impossible to say what belongs to whom.

Pez ends up on his back, Nora with a leg intertwined with one of his by his side. June, on top of them, straddling said legs. How did she win? No one knows and no one cares, because the room is now charged with something more intense than a pillow fight.

June lowers herself until she can kiss Pez on the lips, sweet and slow and so much of a show it’s obvious it’s not only for the two of them.

Nora swallows. She wants to keep watching them, she wants to kiss them, she wants June's knee to move up a bit and for Pez's hand to take the same path.

She touches June's thigh, shyly at first but after a moment she puts all of her fingers on her skin and puts a bit of pressure there. It works magically when June stops kissing Pez just to look at her. She's not sure who moves first, but soon enough they're kissing.

This time too, it's slow, but June's breath seems more ragged. Nora doesn't dare open her eyes, but judging by the movement at her left, Pez is also touching her.

A gasp escapes Nora's lips when he starts kissing her neck and that's what stops the kiss. That, and June's urge to get rid of her top. Pez lips go straight for Nora's and she shivers.

Pez puts one hand on her inner thing. Or maybe it's June's. She doesn't know and she doesn't care. Nothing matters while they undress each other between kisses and caresses. A moan in her ear, her name on their lips, a hand between her legs.

She's never felt so good in her life.

It’s two days after the night in the hotel that what they did starts to sink in. Exactly when Nora is alone at the flat, because Pez left last night and June is busy with her editor. So, at least, she’s not freaking out in front of either of them.

She's not even properly freaking out. It's more like… thinking again and again about every second in that hotel room, how easy it was the next morning to act as if nothing had happened—or, not as if nothing had happened, but as if it didn't matter, as if that was completely normal and a thing they could do on a daily basis.

She wishes they could.

After half an hour of being restless without making any progress on her thoughts, Nora decides to get out of bed and open her laptop. Alex has this way of processing things with lists, so maybe that can help her too.

She sets up a new document, nods twice and tries to think about everything. How good it feels to be with June, how good it feels when Pez touches her, how they all look at each other.

The clock keeps ticking but her hands never reach the keyboard and the screen is as blank as it was when she started. The cursor keeps blinking and waiting for her to do something. Nora can't think of anything to write. What is she supposed to write, anyway?

The thing is, as logical as she is when it comes to other people's problems, she's completely helpless when it's time to deal with hers. Especially when it comes to  _ feelings  _ related problems.

So she closes her laptop, grabs her phone, and calls the only person that can help her.

“Nora? Are you alright?”

“Yes, kind of. I mean, everything's great.” It sounds more like she's trying to reassure herself, rather than Bea. “I called because you're the only one who's not family, or really close to any of them, and I really need to talk to someone.”

“Of course. Give me a second, okay?” 

Nora nods. Bea shifts on her bed, she's wearing a nightgown. Shit, did she call in the middle of the night?

After she settles down on what looks like a desk, she looks at Nora again. “All right, what is it?”

“So, um. I kind of like June? A lot.”

Nora waits. One second. Two seconds. When she hits the third second she clears her throat. Bea fixes a hair strand behind her ear. The image is not frozen so she's totally heard her.

“You're not surprised?”

Bea's face is enough to answer. Is this how Alex felt when he told her Henry had kissed him? Maybe she should have faked a bit of surprise, because right now she's feeling stupid.

“Well, that's not even the problem. The thing is, I'm pretty sure I also like Pez, like seventy three percent sure.”

Bea stays silent, urging her to keep going. But Nora isn't sure there's more. That's the whole issue and Bea's silence is making her nervous.

“Bea, I can't like them both. That's messed up.”

“Sweetie, of course you can like them both. Why wouldn't you?”

“Because she is my best friend! And I'm pretty sure they like each other.”

“One hundred percent.”

“Exactly! One hundred percent!” Nora exclaims, almost enraged about how obvious it is. “So I should root for them on the side, and ignore whatever my mind does when I see them. Even if there was the slim chance of one of them liking me back, I can't do that to them.”

Or maybe she just doesn’t want to find out if either of them like her because she’s not sure they would choose her. She’s not even sure she would want them to choose her if that meant June and Pez wouldn’t be together when it’s so obvious they like each other.

“Nora, look at me." Nora hadn't even realized she wasn't looking at her phone screen anymore. "You are allowed to like them both. And they are allowed to like you back. And, honestly, I thought you were already a thing.”

“Wait, who? June and me?”

“No, silly. The three of you. I thought you were together.”

_ What? _ That doesn't even make sense. She's pretty sure she would have noticed it if she were in a relationship with June or Pez or—both. Bea must be making fun of her. Nora can't even blame her.

Her face must be giving away how confused she is because before she can say anything, Bea sighs and smiles like one would do to a child.

“You're not that subtle, love. The night in LA? Two nights ago? The only reason Henry and Alex might not know is because they’re too busy getting in each other's pants.”

If Nora’s being honest, she didn’t think about it because she never realized there was something to think about. For her, everything starts when the door closes and they are on their own. Never before, never where other people can see. But if she’s being logical, that’s not how attraction works, there’s not a switch to turn on and off, and she’s thinking way too much about them to try and deny it.

A smile starts to appear on her lips, small and almost shy, disbelieving.

“So, there's nothing wrong with liking them both?”

“And there's nothing wrong with the both of them liking you back.”

Even after talking with Bea, even after reading whatever she can find on polyamorous relationships, it still takes her close to a week to talk to June about the big pink elephant in the room. Maybe only Nora can see it, or maybe it has been living there with them for a long time.

“June?” Nora knocks on her door and feels stupid right after. She's never knocked on June's door before and that's clearly a sign that something is wrong.

June opens the door and smiles at her as if it’s nothing. Nora loves her a bit more for that.

“Hi there, need anything?” 

Nora nods, quietly. Every cell in her body feels nervous and when she tries to smile it feels fake. 

Those are enough clues for June to stop pretending everything is okay. “Wanna come in?”

They sit on June's bed. So close Nora could put her hand on June's knee, but not close enough so they are touching anywhere.

“Nora, what's wrong?”

“I just—I need to tell you something, but it's kind of complicated so… give me a few seconds, okay?”

June nods. Nora can feel her staring, but that's not making it any easier to speak.

After almost half a minute in complete silence, she sighs. This is her only chance, probably, because if she doesn't say it now there is a ninety-eight percent possibility she'll never do it.

“First of all, I hope this doesn't make you uncomfortable. I would understand if it does, but I hope it doesn't. And if it does, I don't know, we can—”

“Nora.”

She looks at June. Her voice isn't harsh, nor is she trying to rush her, and her face is calm. Just like that, Nora feels more confident than she has felt this last week.

“Okay. So, I don't know since when, but I like you. Really  _ like  _ you. Not as a friend—I mean, obviously I also like you as a friend, but that's not what I'm talking about.”

Nora feels her tongue tangle, so she bites her inner cheek and breathes a couple times. She still has a lot to say, but June doesn't give her the chance.

“You like me?” June repeats. “I—whoa. Nora, that's—”

“Just let me finish!” It comes harsher than she intended. She glances up, expecting to see June's hurt expression, but she only seems surprised. “Sorry. It's just… There's more and I need to get it all out.” She waits a bit, and after June nods, she sighs. “I also like another person. I know you like him too—Pez, I mean.

“And it's obvious he likes you back! So that's perfect and I'm really happy for you, but yeah. I thought you should know that I like you, and I like him. And I'm not going to get between you, but I thought, maybe...” At some point she’s stopped looking at Nora and started fidgeting. There's no way she can bring up her conversation with Bea, or the Googling that followed it. “Nothing. I just thought you should know.”

She waits for June’s disappointment to become visible. The betrayal of her best friend falling in love with her and with her possible future boyfriend—what a shitty friend she is.

June doesn't say a word and after what feels like an eternity of silence, Nora dares to look at her. June's… she's biting her lower lip, trying not to laugh.

“Just so you know, it would be really rude if you start laughing or ask me if this is a joke, because it's not.”

“I'm not laughing.”

“You are.”

“I'm not! I swear. I'm smiling. That's a completely different thing. I'm not laughing. Especially not at you, dummy.”

Now that she looks more closely, she can tell June is in fact smiling, but still,  _ ouch _ .

“Well, I would appreciate it if you could make this quicker so I can buy ice cream and, you know, have an existential crisis in my room.”

“Or you could be patient while I'm trying to tell you that this is the best thing you could've ever told me.”

Nora frowns. She has no clue what June's talking about, and her big smile isn't giving anything away.

“I don't… what?”

“Okay, so. Let me start at the beginning,” June says, and at this point Nora has nothing else to do but wait. “You know how Pez and I started flirting last year, like… nothing serious, just some funny banter and stuff. 

“Then there was the night we spent in Los Angeles, and it was one of the top three nights of my life. And I thought that we'd get serious after that, but everything was a mess with the elections, and my brother and… then we moved in together and we kept having these little moments when—I don't know, Nora, I just thought _all of_ _that_ was something I liked.”

“Living with me? I mean, after living with Alex at The White House, it's not surp–”

“Just let me finish, Nora!”

That shuts her up.

“I liked living with you, but it was more than that. It was staying up late and cuddling, and even cooking for you! That type of thing. But Pez was still there, and I really liked him. I liked him a lot. So I thought, 'You can't have it all and Nora is probably not into you, so you should play it safe.' But you make it so hard! Did you know we talk about you all the time? About how smart you are, and funny and beautiful?

“I don't know. At some point it was obvious we both liked you. It was… just there.”

_ What? _

Nora's face hasn't gotten any better with the confusion. Obviously she’s misheard. Obviously it's a prank. Obviously June is talking about liking her as a friend. Obviously,  _ but _ .

As cliche as it might sound, friends don't look at each other like June's looking at her.

“After Alex and Henry's birthday party, we wanted to talk to you because it was something we could no longer avoid, but we couldn't find the right moment to do so. Well, until today.”

Nora lays on the bed, a hand on her forehead, and stares at the ceiling.

“Fuck me,” she mutters. June giggles.

“You confessed, but didn't expect it to go well?” 

“There was a really slim chance this would work out, you know? I just—I might not be as good at statistics as I thought I was.”

June hovers over her, smiling. The ceiling no longer seems fascinating.

“What do we do now?”

“I could kiss you.”

“You could kiss me.”

That's all June needs to break the distance between them and kiss Nora. And… yeah, this is it.

One of her hands goes to June’s right cheek, and the other to her hair. She wants to keep her there. She wants to stay there forever.

Before they can get too into it, June breaks the kiss. She looks like she just remembered something important.

“We need to call Pez!”

Yes, they should. But Nora wonders why it can’t be after a few more kisses.

They both get up. June grabs her phone, and fixes her hair before video-calling Pez. Nora smiles smugly, because  _ she did that. _

“Hello, darling. You alright?”

“Hi, Pez.” June’s voice is as soft as her smile and, for once, seeing her like that doesn’t send a pang of jealousy through Nora’s body. “So, you remember what we discussed about Nora?”

“Yes, why? Has anything happened? She didn’t get a partner, did she? Please, tell me you’re not calling me to say that.”

He sounds distressed, and Nora wants to see the expression on his face, but also wants to keep him on the edge for a bit longer. She’s also currently trying not to laugh and if June’s face says anything, she is too.

“Well, she  _ could _ get a partner. Maybe this week, I don’t know. How soon can you come over?”

There are a few seconds of silence before Pez speaks again, and by then, June is fully smiling.

“What?”

“Do you need her to personally tell you?”

“She’s there?! June!”

And that’s the last straw. Both June and Nora start laughing. 

“What is going on?” Pez asks. 

Nora sits besides June, smiling. She swears Pez is blushing and that makes her feel amazing.

“I beat you both. Take that.” Nora brags. It doesn’t matter that she wasn’t expecting them to confess too.

“Wasn’t expecting anything else.”

A second goes by and they just stare at each other. The three of them. Then they’re all smiling.

“I guess I could get there tomorrow. I don’t have anything else to do, so… I’ll text you when I book the flight.”

“That sounds good.” June says and Nora nods.

“I can’t wait to see you both.”

Nora wakes up to someone ringing the bell. June’s legs are intertwined with hers and her face is hidden against her chest 

Nora could get used to waking up like this.

When she tries to get up, June whines and tightens her grip on her. “Stop it.”

“Someone’s at the door.”

“What time is it?” June asks, and before Nora can grab her phone and check the time, she adds, “Too early, I know it’s too early.”

8 a.m. definitely sounds too early, especially since neither of them need to work today. But then a thought crosses Nora’s mind.

“Could be Pez.”

That makes June jump. She looks startled and Nora feels it too. It’s way too early, and they spoke to him not even twelve hours ago. Then again, catching the first flight to New York sounds like something Pez would do.

Nora puts on a dressing gown, and June grabs some pants and together they go to the front door.

As soon as they open it, the smell of coffee and croissants hit them and Pez smiles.

“Good morning, ladies”.

Nora thinks she could melt.

The three of them set up the table together and everything is like it always has been. They move around each other like they’ve been doing it for decades. And it makes Nora feel uncomfortable.

She’s not sure if she was waiting for everything to change the second Pez entered the apartment, or if she thought they all would be too nervous to act like they didn’t confess their feelings ten hours ago.

But then there’s nothing else to add to the table, so they sit down and she realizes she’s not the only one. June’s scratching her arm and Pez has already rearranged his coffee cup three times.

They all are nervous. None of them know where to start.

“So—”

“Maybe we—”

“How about—”

They speak and shut up in unison, and they all laugh at the same time. Maybe it’s what they needed, because Nora feels more relaxed than a few minutes ago.

Pez clears his throat and tries again.

“How about we talk about the big elephant in the room before we eat? I think it shouldn’t be so hard to just say that, uh...” He hesitates for a moment and looks at June then at Nora. That seems to build his confidence. “I like you both, and I super hope you like me back, because that would be wonderful.”

“I’ve said enough times by now: I like you both,” June says.

So now it’s Nora’s turn. She looks at them and it still feels like a dream to have them looking at her like  _ that _ . Like she’s something precious. Nora can feel her cheeks heating up. For once, she doesn’t care.

“I’ve been researching a bit and… so there’s this thing called polyamory?” June and Pez nod, and she wonders if they had already looked it up. “I think we could make it work. I want to make it work. I just… I don’t want to only have you around and hook up if we feel like it. I want to have a real relationship. The three of us.”

She feels self-conscious after saying it. Yes, they did say they like each other, but what does that mean? No one said anything about relationships, Pez still lives an ocean away, and as far as Nora knows, they could have meant they’d like to repeat what always happens in hotel rooms—but at home.

“I thought that was what this was all about, babe.”

Nora looks up after hearing June’s voice.

“I want to be with you two.  _ Just _ the two of you, and preferably all the time.”

Nora looks at Pez and smiles.

Maybe it really is that easy. Maybe she doesn’t have to overthink things with them.

“So… what do we do now?” Nora asks.

“I suggest we have breakfast and then we can sleep for a bit because I have horrendous jetlag.”

“ _ And _ it’s still too early.” June groans.

Nora laughs. She can’t wait to get used to this.

***

Summer is right around the corner. That's enough reason to be in a good mood, but this year there's something more.

Nora’s putting the coffee maker to work when she feels a pair of lips press against her hair and a pair of arms wrap themselves around her waist. Dark hands touching her skin where the top doesn't reach to cover it.

“Hi, sweetheart.”

She melts at how hoarse Pez's voice sounds. That's one of the greatest things she's experienced these last three months. The other one is currently still in bed.

Nora turns around and gives him a short kiss on the lips.

“Did I wake you up?” she asks.

“Don't worry. June has work too, but she was trying to get me to convince you to have breakfast in bed.” He frowns after saying it like he doesn't understand his own words, and Nora laughs.

“Last time she dropped an egg on the sheets,” she says, “but I guess I could make an exception, because it's her last day of work.”

“That is another argument she made.”

She knows June too well at this point to not know all her arguments. And June knows Nora too well to not know she'll eventually give up. And Pez... Well, Pez knows they can't resist a British accent in the morning, so he's the best weapon they have.

Between the two of them, it only takes a couple minutes to have everything ready. They go back to the bedroom (June's, because it's a bit bigger and they now use Nora's as a study). June is still in bed, but she smiles when she sees them.

“Good morning, lazy ass,” Nora says.

She leaves the coffee mugs on the nightstand and leans in for a kiss. She can feel June smiling against her lips.

“Come on, it's my last day. I deserve a bit of love.”

She does. They all do, and luckily they've been getting plenty for the last three months.

Nora can't even believe it. A year ago, if anyone were to tell her she'd be dating June  _ and _ Pez, she would've laughed. Then again, she didn't laugh when Bea told her she thought the three of them were already a thing—although she did laugh when they told Alex and Henry and they couldn't put the pieces together.

Maybe they are a difficult puzzle. Best friends separated by an ocean. She's sure it's all worth it. One hundred percent, and no marginal error.


End file.
